Fred R. Shapiro, the editor of The Yale Book of Quotations, has compiled a list of the Ten Most Memorable Quotes for 2007. Shapiro clarifies: “I’m not listing the most admirable quotes, the most eloquent quotes. It’s the most memorable quotes.” Be careful what you say in 2008. The words you speak may follow you around for a long time.

Top 10 Most Memorable Quotes for 2007

1. “Don’t tase me, bro!” (September 17, 2007) — College student Andrew Meyer shouted out these words as officers removed him from a speech by Senator John Kerry at the University of Florida. Meyer’s words have since become a catch phrase around the nation, appearing on t-shirts and even recorded as ringtones.
    
2. “I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because some people out there in our nation don’t have maps and I believe that our education like such as in South Africa and the Iraq and everywhere like such as and I believe that they should our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S. or should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future for us.” (August 24, 2007) — South Carolina beauty contestant Lauren Caitlin Upton became a YouTube phenomenon after she gave this rather disjointed response at the 2007 Miss Teen USA pageant. She was answering a question about why one-fifth of Americans can’t locate the U.S. on a map. Here is the video:


 

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Here is a Christmas poem by Keith Patman from Jeff Johnson’s Centerpoint – Poetry & Music For Christmas CD. (“An album created to prepare oneself for the celebration of Christ’s birth over the entire Advent season. Centerpoint features Johnson’s music score of traditional and original Christmas melodies (which includes flutist, Brian Dunning) with poetry by Keith Patman read by Dallas McKennon. McKennon is famous for his character voice work with Walt Disney Productions.”)

“SNOW” – by Keith Patman (©1980)

Was it a cold awakening Christmas morning
In a wooden trough,
In spite of straw and swaddling clothes and angel songs?
That was not to be the last time you’d be laid upon the wood
(There were Herods, Judases from the start
Among the stars and shepherds).
And did they smile, those simple folk,
And kiss your tiny hands and weep delight?
They’d touch those hands again someday,
Believing you through cracks and scars.
Then oh! the million Christmas mornings
When you’d lie, a babe again,
Beneath a million million trees
And hear the countless tongues chanting your name.
And oh! the white snow on black shingles
Where icy crystals capture windows
And fires glow and mistletoe is wreathed and strung.
But ah . . . will they remember crimson
Dripping from the iron nails
And will they pray and will they know
A whiter white than
Snow?

HT: Rusty Lopez at New Covenant

Click here for poems by Ray Fowler.
Click here for more Christmas related posts.

Money well spent? Scotland recently spent £125,000 (U.S. $250,000) revamping its national slogan. The brand new slogan unveiled at Glasgow Airport last month? “Welcome to Scotland.” The new phrase replaces the previous slogan: “Best Small Country in the World.”

Turn right; save gas. Last year U.P.S. cut 28.5 million miles off its delivery routes, saved three million gallons of gas and reduced CO2 emissions by 31,000 metric tons. Their secret? A “package flow” software program that reduced the number of left-hand turns made by U.P.S. drivers.

Creative ketchup. Toddler Freddie Linsky fooled the art world into buying his tomato ketchup paintings. “To the untrained eye, they appear to be simple daubs that could have been created by a two year old. Which is precisely what they are. But that didn’t stop the supposed experts falling over themselves to acclaim them.” Two-year-old Freddie has recently progressed from ketchup to oils on canvas.

Fresh Hobbit news straight from New Zealand: For a while it looked like New Line Cinemas and Peter Jackson were unable to iron out their differences and that the filming of The Hobbit would be entrusted into someone else’s hands. But today Jackson and and Hollywood studios New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios announced that they had resolved their legal dispute. Jackson and partner Fran Walsh will serve as executive producers on not one but two (?) Hobbit movies.

Pre-production will begin as soon as possible and both will be shot simultaneously, tentatively in 2009. The Hobbit is likely to be released in 2010 and the sequel in 2011.

Jackson sued New Line in 2005 for unpaid profits, estimated to be about US$100 million, from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which became a stumbling block to his being involved in The Hobbit.

Jackson and New Line said in the announcement that they had settled all legal action. “I’m very pleased that we’ve been able to put our differences behind us, so that we may begin a new chapter with our old friends at New Line,” Jackson said. “We are delighted to continue our journey through Middle-earth.”

A decision still has to be made on who will direct the films, who will be cast and where they will be filmed.

This is great news. Jackson did such a great job with the Lord of the Rings movies that I was really not happy with the idea of someone else taking over for The Hobbit. I am intrigued by the mention of two Hobbit films in the announcement. I assume that means they will film the book in two parts. So, Tolkien fans, what do you think?

Update: According to this press release at TheOneRing.net, it looks like the second movie will be a sequel to the Hobbit rather than just the second half of the book.

Quick facts:

• The Hobbit, by JRR Tolkien, was published in 1937, and tells the story of Bilbo Baggins before the events of The Lord of the Rings. It relates how Bilbo met the wizard Gandalf, fought Smaug the dragon, and found the One Ring.
• The Lord of the Rings trilogy has made about US$3 billion at the box office and another US$1 billion in DVD sales. Between them, the films won 17 Oscars.

HT: Instapundit

Don Surber in his post Snowstorm Parody asks the question: “How does New England like that foot of global warming?” I will be glad to answer. We are tired of shoveling and ready for a break after two major snowstorms in the space of three days. Somehow I think our region didn’t get the memo when it comes to global warming.

Surber goes on to answer his own question with a fun parody of the Beach Boys, “Surfin’ U.S.A.” Here is “Snowin’ U.S.A.”

If we really had global warming
Across the U.S.A.
Then everybody’d be surfing
Like Californi-a
Instead we’re wearing our parkas
Our gloves and mittens, too
Those trendy, trendy Ugg Ugg boots
Snowin’ U.S.A.

There’s more. Check out the rest of the song at Snowstorm Parody. Love them Ugg Ugg boots.

Last week Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit posted IN SEARCH OF HUCKABEE’S SERMONS, linking to a Mother Jones article reporting on presidential candidate Mike Huckabee’s announcement that he will not make his early sermons available to the media and the public. Reynolds joked: “He’s just taking Matthew 6:6 a little more seriously than most . . . .”

Actually, Huckabee recently preached at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Texas and made the whole sermon available to the media. Click here for video links and a full transcript of the message (preached on November 4, 2007).

As far as Huckabee’s earlier sermons from back when he was a pastor in the 1980′s, those messages may be more difficult to access. Many pastors preach from an outline rather than writing out a full manuscript, and many churches would not still have tapes of messages from 20-30 years ago. I started preaching in 1986, and I do not have copies of my earlier messages.

Also, although all preaching should be applicable to a wider audience, preaching is also directed to a specific congregation at a specific time, and so much of Huckabee’s sermons from the 1980′s may not be directly applicable to the media and public of the 21st century.

What do you think? If Huckabee’s earlier sermons are readily accessible, should they be made available to the media and the public? Or would that be akin to asking Mitt Romney to dig out his old Mormon Sunday School lessons?

(Note: The question about Romney is merely for comparative purposes. I do not know if Mitt Romney ever taught Sunday School, or whether Mormons even have Sunday School for that matter.)

Last week we brought you The Golden Compass vs. Narnia. This week it’s The Golden Compass vs. Alvin and the Chipmunks.

The Golden Compass, dropped to the number three position at the box office during its second weekend ($9 million), coming in well behind Will Smith’s I Am Legend ($77 million) and the new Alvin and the Chipmunks movie ($44 million). Alvin and the Chipmunks actually did better in its opening weekend than The Golden Compass did in its first two weeks combined.

Here are the weekend figures for December 14-16, 2007:

I Am Legend (opening weekend)

• Production budget: N/A
• Opening Weekend: $77,211,321
• 3606 theaters, $21,411 average

Alvin and the Chipmunks (opening weekend)

• Production budget: $60 million
• Opening Weekend: $44,307,417
• 3,475 theaters, $12,750 average

The Golden Compass (second weekend)

• Production budget: $180 million
• Second Weekend: $8,825,549
• 3,528 theaters, $2,501 average
• See Golden Compass opening weekend figures here.

Related posts:

• The Golden Compass vs. Narnia Box Office Results
• The Golden Compass Christian Response Roundup

Television Tunes. Thousands of TV theme music and songs from yesterday and today. (HT: Presurfer)

Remove child before folding (baby stroller). Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch, M-LAW, has revealed the winners in its eleventh annual Wacky Warning Label Contest. This year’s top prize goes to the label on a tractor that warns: “Danger: Avoid Death.” Second place goes to the label on an iron-on T-shirt transfer that warns: “Do not iron while wearing shirt.” (HT: Don Surber)

Dr. Sam Lamerson shares some helpful quotes on dealing with criticism. “Preaching at Coral Ridge has taught me that no matter how hard you work, the critics will come out when you least expect them. I don’t mean those people who are really trying to help by giving suggestions; I thank the Lord for those people. I mean those who simply cannot be satisfied. Here are a few quotations that I have found helpful.”

Jesse Johnson explains why evangelism at Grace Church is a practice not a program. “The man [asked me], ‘What does your church do for evangelism?’ ‘We evangelize,’ I answered … At Grace Church, our philosophy of evangelism hinges on the idea that evangelism is not a program. A church does not transform a community through activities and events … Rather, a church impacts its community through the lives of its members.”

Jon Bloom shares 5 D’s that he has made a part of his daily prayers: “Whatever it takes, Lord, give me… 1) Delight in you as the greatest treasure of my heart. 2) Desire to know you, be with you, and seek your kingdom above all else. 3) Discernment that comes from a renewed mind that I might know your will. 4) Discipline to plan for what I discern as your will. 5) Diligence to do your will with all my heart.” Read the whole plan complete with matching Scripture verses at Jon’s post over at Desiring God.

First ever quantum calculation. “University of Queensland researchers are part of an international team to have made the first ever execution of a quantum calculation, a major step towards building the first quantum computers … By manipulating quantum mechanically entangled photons – the fundamental particles of light – the prime factors of the number 15 were calculated … Although the answer to this problem could have been obtained much more quickly by querying a bright eight-year-old, as the number becomes bigger and bigger the problem becomes more and more difficult.” (HT: Neatorama)

James Howell, pastor at Ben Witherington’s home church, offers a different take on shopping (Christmas or otherwise): “Think about J.R.R. Tolkien’s hobbits: on their birthdays, instead of receiving gifts, they give gifts. When I shop, do I buy for others? If so, whom? Sometimes I buy a new coat for me, and give my old coat to the needy – which is an excellent thought. I have a friend who committed to a different discipline: when he buys a new coat for his son, he simultaneously buys a new coat for a child who can’t afford even an old coat. I know several families whose Christmas shopping tab is always matched by a special donation to the poor. Do I leave my faith at home, or take it with me, when I shop?”

I live in New England where we are expecting our first major snow storm of the season — 6 to 10 inches of the heavy, white sticky stuff coming our way this afternoon. Today as I am shoveling and throughout the winter, I will just keep reminding myself, “At least it’s not Condition 1 Weather!”

What is Condition 1 Weather, you ask? Just take a look at this video of a weather station in Antarctica.

(Video length: 1:03)

Official Definitions:

• Condition ONE – any one of the following is true:
  • Wind speed greater than 55 knots
  • Visibility less than 100 feet
  • Wind-chill worse than -100F
• Condition TWO – any one of the following is true:
  • Wind speed between 48 and 55 knots
  • Visibility better than 100 feet but less than 1/4 mile
  • Wind-chill between -70F and -100F
• Condition THREE – anything that is better than Condition TWO.
  • Condition THREE means normal, good weather!

Related posts:

• Somebody Shoot the Groundhog
• On God and Chipmunks
• T.G.I.(w)F.

HT: Presurfer

(Note: Sam’s Christmas guitar arrangements below!)

My son, Sam, wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas from him and his guitar. Sam is in the eighth grade and just started playing guitar about two years ago. He worked hard doing lawn jobs over the last two summers and was able to save up enough money to buy himself his own brand, spankin’ new Martin D-15 at the end of this summer. Here he is with his new guitar.

I have been teaching him what I know, and he also studied with acoustic guitar wizard Brooks Williams this summer. Anyways, here are three of Sam’s original fingerstyle acoustic guitar arrangements played by Sam for you on his very own Martin D-15. They are all good, but my favorite of these is definitely Feliz Navidad — a nice spunky version with a great feel. Merry Christmas all and enjoy! And remember, you heard him here first!

• Go Tell It on the Mountain

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• Away in a Manger

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• Feliz Navidad

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Related posts:
    • Fowler Family Christmas Project
    • Free Christmas Music MP3 Downloads
    • Click here for more Christmas related posts.

The movie, The Golden Compass, premiered this weekend amid much controversy, most of it over the theological content of the books on which the film is based. Philip Pullman, the author of the books, is an avowed atheist who has been quoted as saying, “My books are about killing God.”

I have not seen the movie or read the books, but I have read quite a bit about them in recent weeks. Here are some articles written from a Christian perspective that I found helpful in understanding the issues involved.

Articles about The Golden Compass:

• Albert Mohler – A Briefing for Concerned Christians
• Jeffrey Overstreet – Questions I’ve been asked, answers I’ve given
• Larry Shallenberger – Golden Compass FAQ
• Paul Edwards – Demagnetizing The Golden Compass
• Marcus Goodyear – Gold Plated Compass Can’t Find North

Movie reviews of The Golden Compass:

• Jeffrey Overstreet
• Peter Chattaway
• Steven D. Greydanus

See related posts:

• The Golden Compass vs. Narnia Box Office Results
• The Golden Compass vs. Alvin and the Chipmunks
• The Prince Caspian Movie Trailer

The movie, The Golden Compass, opened this weekend with disappointing results at the box office (although it was still the number one film at the box office for the weekend). The film, which had a production budget of $180 million, only pulled in an estimated $26 million over the weekend. Compare this to The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe which opened during the same weekend time frame back in December 2005, also with a production budget of $180 million.

The Golden Compass

• Production budget: $180 million
• Opening Weekend: $25,783,232
• 3,528 theaters, $7,308 average

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe

• Production budget: $180 million
• Opening Weekend: $65,556,312
• 3,616 theaters, $18,129 average

Note: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe eventually went on to gross $744,783,957 worldwide.

Click here for more Narnia and Caspian related posts.
Click here for Narnia sermon series.

See related posts:

• The Golden Compass vs. Alvin and the Chipmunks
• The Golden Compass Christian Response Roundup
• The Prince Caspian Movie Trailer